March 8

is

National Peanut Cluster Day

Five things you should know about

Peanut Clusters

  1. Peanuts are a good source of niacin, and thus contribute to brain health and blood flow.
  2. Peanuts are a significant source of resveratrol, a chemical associated with but not proven to cause a reduction in risk of cardiovascular disease and cancer.
  3. Recent research on peanuts has found antioxidants and other chemicals that may provide health benefits.
  4.  The domestication of peanuts might have taken place in Paraguay or Bolivia, where the wildest strains grow today.
  5. Many pre-Columbian cultures, such as the Moche, depicted peanuts in their art.

On This Day in Food History…

1824 RIP Jean Jacques Regis de Cambaceres, A French politician and gourmet, a contemporary and rival of Talleyrand and Carême.  The dinners he gave were legendary.  He refused to admit late-comers, and was demanded complete silence while dining.

1923 The Coca Cola 6 bottle carton was introduced.

1992 RIP Christian K. Nelson, inventor of the Eskimo Pie at age 98.